A keyword is a suggestion rather than an instruction. Match types control how loosely the platform may interpret it, and the default setting interprets very loosely, which is why campaigns routinely pay for searches that have nothing to do with the service. The search terms report shows what you actually bought.
The distinction nobody explains at the start
You choose keywords. You are shown for search terms. They are not the same thing, and the gap between them is where most advertising budget is lost.
A keyword is what you tell the platform you want. A search term is what somebody actually typed. The match type is the rule determining how far the platform may travel from one to the other, and on the loosest setting it travels a long way.
The three settings
| Type | How it behaves | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|
| Broad | Shows for anything the platform judges related, including terms sharing no words with your keyword | Discovery, on a healthy budget with heavy exclusion work |
| Phrase | Shows where the meaning of your keyword is contained in the search | The sensible default for most small businesses |
| Exact | Shows for the term or a close variant with the same meaning | Terms you know convert, where control matters most |
All three have loosened over time. Exact is no longer literally exact, and phrase now covers meaning rather than word order. That drift matters, because advice written a few years ago describes behaviour that no longer holds.
Why broad match is the default
It is what the platform suggests, and it genuinely does find searches you would not have thought of, some of which convert well.
It also shows your advertisement for terms that are related in a technical sense and useless commercially. A plumbing business bidding broadly on drain cleaning can find itself paying for searches about cleaning products, plumbing courses, and how to unblock a drain yourself. None of those people were ever going to phone.
Broad match works when there is enough budget to absorb the exploration, enough conversion data for the system to learn from, and someone reviewing search terms regularly. For a small business at a modest budget, usually none of those three hold, and phrase match is the better starting point.
The report that shows what you actually bought
The search terms report lists the real queries that triggered your advertisements, with cost and conversions against each.
It is the most useful screen in any advertising account and the one most small advertisers have never opened. Reading it for the first time is usually uncomfortable, because it reveals what a share of the budget genuinely went to.
The routine is simple. Open it weekly at first, then monthly. Read the terms that cost money and produced nothing. Add them as exclusions. Repeat.
Exclusions, which is where the savings are
A negative keyword prevents your advertisement showing for searches containing that word. This list is built continuously and it is the single largest efficiency gain available.
Some are predictable and can be added before launch: free, cheap, DIY, how to, jobs, salary, training, course, and the names of large competitors you will not outbid.
The rest come from the report, and they are specific to your trade in ways nobody can anticipate. A business finds it is paying for searches about a similarly named product, or a neighbouring trade, or a television programme.
Exclusions also carry match types, and adding a single-word negative too broadly can suppress terms you wanted, so it is worth checking that a new exclusion has not removed something valuable.
A sensible starting structure
- Start with phrase match on terms describing exactly what you sell.
- Add exact match for the two or three terms you are most confident about.
- Leave broad match alone until the account has conversion history and someone reviewing it regularly.
- Load the obvious exclusions before launch, rather than after paying for them.
- Read the search terms report weekly for the first month.
That structure produces fewer impressions and better spend, which is the correct trade at a small budget, and it fits the arithmetic set out in setting a first advertising budget.
When to loosen
Once the account has genuine conversion data and the exclusion list has stopped growing quickly, broadening becomes reasonable. The system has something to learn from, and the exploration is bounded by exclusions you built from evidence rather than guesses.
Going the other way, starting broad and tightening later, means paying for the education first. That is a legitimate approach with budget behind it and an expensive one without.
Frequently asked questions
What are keyword match types?
Rules controlling how loosely the platform may interpret the keywords you chose. Broad allows the most interpretation, phrase requires your meaning to be contained in the search, and exact is the tightest.
Why do my ads show for irrelevant searches?
Almost always broad match, which shows your advertisement for anything the platform judges related, including terms sharing no words with your keyword.
Which match type should a small business start with?
Phrase match on terms describing exactly what you sell, plus exact match on the two or three you are most confident about. Broad match needs budget and conversion history to work well.
What is the search terms report?
A list of the actual queries that triggered your advertisements, with cost and conversions against each. It is the most useful screen in an advertising account and the one most small advertisers never open.
What are negative keywords?
Words that prevent your advertisement showing when a search contains them. The list is built continuously from the search terms report and it is the largest efficiency gain available.
Which negative keywords should I add before launching?
Free, cheap, DIY, how to, jobs, salary, training, course, and the names of large competitors you will not outbid. The rest come from the report and are specific to your trade.
West Coast Media Solutions Inc. provides web design, web development, hosting, digital marketing, and business consulting to organisations across Canada, drawing on more than twenty-five years in the field.
Paying for searches that were never going to call?
We read your search terms report, build the exclusion list from what it shows, and set match types that suit the budget you actually have.
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